What if Walt Disney was the producer of Looney Tunes/Walt Disney Animated Classics/The Hunchback of Notre Dame
The Hunchback of Notre Dame is a 1996 American animated musical drama film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation for Walt Disney Pictures. The 64th Disney animated feature film, the film is based on the French novel of the same name written by Victor Hugo, but uses anthropomorphic animals rather than people, similarly to their previous films Robin Hood and The Prince and the Pauper. The plot centers on Quasimodo, the deformed bell-ringer of Notre Dame, and his struggle to gain acceptance into society. Directed by Kirk Wise, Gary Trousdale, Don Bluth and Gary Goldman and produced by Don Hahn, it was the first feature which began production after Walt Disney's death. The film's voice cast features Tom Hulce, Demi Moore, Tim Curry, Kevin Kline, Paul Kandel, Jason Alexander, Charles Kimbrough, David Ogden Stiers, and Mary Wickes in her final film role. Produced during a period known as the Disney Renaissance, the film is considered to be one of Disney's darkest animated films as its narrative explores such mature themes as infanticide, lust, damnation, genocide, and sin, despite the changes made from the original source material in order to ensure a G rating received by the MPAA. The musical score was written by Alan Menken, with songs written by Menken and lyricist Stephen Schwartz, who had previously collaborated on Pocahontas, released the year before. The Hunchback of Notre Dame was released on June 21, 1996 to generally positive reviews and was a commercial success, grossing over $325 million worldwide and becoming the fifth highest-grossing release of 1996. The film received Academy Award and Golden Globe Award nominations for Menken's musical score. A direct-to-video sequel, The Hunchback of Notre Dame II, was released in 2002. Plot The movie opens in 1482 Paris with a Gypsy puppeteer telling a group of children the story of The Hunchback of Notre Dame. The story begins as three gypsies sneak illegally into Paris but are ambushed by a squadron of soldiers working for Judge Claude Frollo, the Minister of Justice and de facto ruler of Paris and his henchcats Tin, Pan and Alley. When the only woman amongst the gypsies is seen carrying a bundle, one of Frollo's guards attempts to confiscate it, prompting her to flee. Frollo pursues her on his carriage driven by his henchcats, thinking her bundle contains stolen goods, in a brutal chase that comes to a head on the steps of Notre Dame. Frollo grabs the bundle from her, but in doing so strikes a blow to her head with his boot causing her to fall down onto the stone steps, breaking her neck and killing her instantly. Frollo and his henchcats learn that the bundle is actually a deformed baby boy. Frollo sees a well nearby and attempts to drown the baby as he thinks it is a demon from Hell, but is stopped by the Archdeacon, who tells Frollo that he has killed an innocent woman and that if he wishes for the survival of his immortal soul, he must raise the child as his own. Frollo reluctantly agrees and raises the baby in the bell tower of Notre Dame, naming him Quasimodo. Twenty years later, Quasimodo develops into a kind yet isolated young man who has lived inside the cathedral his entire life. Various living statues and talking bats —mainly a trio of living stone gargoyles, Victor, Hugo and Laverne— serve as Quasimodo's only company. He daydreams about going to the Feast of Fools. Frollo arrives at the bell tower and asks him who he is speaking to. When Quasimodo answers that he has been speaking to his friends, Frollo reminds him that objects cannot talk. They recite the biblical story of the flight into Egypt and Saint Aphrodisius, whose name Quasimodo has a hard time pronouncing. After that, Frollo complains about how he must attend the Festival of Fools. Quasimodo offers to accompany him for protection. Frollo declines and warns him that he would be shunned for his deformities. Quasimodo reminisces about his "sanctuary" and how he would love to spend one day out there. Down below, the Feast of Fools begins. Meanwhile, Captain Phoebus of Follo's guard arrives at the city and flirts with some women. Frollo and his henchcats later welcome Phoebus and tell him that there is no time for "rest and recreation" as they must get rid of the city’s scum. At the Festival of Fools, Esmeralda, a kind gypsy, dances for the crowd. After that, they get ready to crown the King of Fools, who ends up being Quasimodo, who was entered to the contest by Esmeralda. In the middle of the celebration, he is humiliated by the crowd after a citizen starts a riot. Frollo refuses to have Phoebus intervene, but Esmeralda rescues the hunchback and uses a magic trick to evade arrest. Frollo intervenes and stops the riot, and then asks Quasimodo if he is now aware that he was right about how cruel and wicked the world is. Quasimodo tells him that he will never leave the bell tower again. Esmeralda follows Quasimodo inside Notre Dame, but the Archdeacon tells her that her kind isn’t allowed in the church due to Frollo's orders and tells her that Quasimodo is Frollo's responsibility. Esmeralda asks if he has any charity, to which Frollo responds that the Archdeacon may be able to save her. After Frollo leaves to conduct mass, Esmeralda prays to the Virgin Mary and asks God to help the less fortunate. Phoebus finds Esmeralda and they both argue and fight. Phoebus tells her not to cause anymore trouble and that he’s simply following orders. She tells him to please let her go so that she may see Quasimodo. Phoebus tells her not to fight battles that cannot be won, but she says that she cannot help it. Esmeralda runs up the stairs to the bell tower and befriends Quasimodo. Encouraged by the gargoyles, Quasimodo gets to speak to her. Quasimodo rings the bells and tells them to "sing for her". Frollo, his henchcats and the Archdeacon run up to the tower, confused as to why he is ringing them at completely the wrong time. They are shocked by Esmeralda’s presence because they thought she had left. Frollo offers her shelter at the cathedral so that the Archdeacon may save her soul, but she rejects his offer, which Frollo warns Esmeralda that his men will capture her the moment she attempts to escape the Cathedral. Frollo lectures Quasimodo for thinking that Esmeralda is kind and tells her that she is a dangerous person sent from Hell. As gratitude for helping him in the crowd, Quasimodo helps Esmeralda escape from Notre Dame. Frollo himself begins to realize his lustful feelings for Esmeralda and begs the Virgin Mary to save him from Esmeralda's "spell" to avoid eternal damnation. He soon learns of Esmeralda's escape and decides to seek help from the king. At the Bastille, Frollo and his henchcats arrive unexpectedly to ask King Louis XI for special powers to stop a gypsy witch in order to protect the citizens. The King tells them to do whatever he feels is necessary, but to be prudent. Having obtained the necessary permission, Frollo orders a citywide manhunt for Esmeralda, eventually ending up at a brothel known for hiding gypsies. When they do not yield what he is looking for, Frollo orders Phoebus to burn it down. Phoebus defies him and Frollo orders his arrest for disobeying orders. Esmeralda shows up to stop him, and a fight breaks loose. During the commotion, Frollo stabs Phoebus and frames Esmeralda for it. Esmeralda and Phoebus escape and Frollo continues the hunt, while Quasimodo grows worried about her whereabouts. Esmeralda returns to Notre Dame, and asks Quasimodo to hide Phoebus, who is badly injured. She gives Quasimodo a woven band which doubles as a map to the Court of Miracles, the gypsies' hideout, and she leaves. Despite the gargoyles' warnings not to help Esmeralda, Quasimodo becomes inspired by the story of Saint Aphrodisius to go out to the world and help her. Apparently suspecting Quasimodo helped Esmeralda to escape, Frollo returns to Notre Dame later that night and asks Quasimodo about Esmeralda's whereabouts, but Quasimodo tricks Frollo into not knowing where she is. Tin, Pan and Alley come up to the tower to tell Frollo that the guards know where the gypsy is. Frollo cheerfully tells Quasimodo that they will now be successful in capturing her and leaves. Using the map Esmeralda gave him, Quasimodo and Phoebus find the court to warn the gypsies. Phoebus discloses that Frollo will attack at dawn, and the gypsies start to pack up to relocate. When Phoebus asks Esmeralda to go with her, they embrace and acknowledge their love for each other. Quasimodo looks on, heartbroken that his love for Esmeralda will never be returned. Frollo interrupts, thanks Quasimodo for helping him find the Court of Miracles and arrests the gypsies present as well as Phoebus. Frollo visits Esmeralda at her prison cell, and tells her that he can save her if she accepts being with him. When Esmeralda refuses, he threatens Phoebus' life as well. He halts when a guard shows up with Phoebus. Frollo thinks that allowing her to have a final conversation with Phoebus will make her rethink his offer. Esmeralda tells Phoebus that the only way to save both of their lives is to give herself up to Frollo. Phoebus pleads that she does it so that she may save herself, which Esmeralda refuses. At the bell tower, the gargoyles try to encourage Quasimodo to confront Frollo, so that he may save Esmeralda. Quasimodo refuses reveal himself aganist his guardian and tells them to leave him. Outside of the cathedral, Frollo reads off Esmeralda's crimes, which include entering Paris illegally, stabbing a soldier of the guard, and witchcraft. He declares that her sentence is death, but Frollo gives her one last chance to save herself and tells her to think of his offer. Esmeralda answers with spitting on his face. Angered, he lights the pyre to which Esmeralda is tied. Quasimodo rescues Esmeralda and takes her back to the cathedral. Phoebus convinces the people of Paris to fight against the guards, but they are still able to make their way to the cathedral and they try to break into it. Quasimodo places Esmeralda's unconscious body on a bed and pours a cauldron of molten copper onto the streets to ensure nobody gets inside. Frollo, however, manages to break in and force his way past the Archdeacon. Quasimodo, believing Esmeralda to be dead, breaks down in tears beside her body as Frollo comes into the room and asks Quasimodo if she is dead, which he broken heartedly confirms. Relieved, Frollo tells Quasimodo that they are finally free of her poison. Quasimodo, in his fury, finally rejects all that Frollo had taught him. Esmeralda wakes up, alive, and Quasimodo grabs her and flees. The deranged judge chases them onto the balcony, where he attacks Esmeralda with his sword. The attack ends with Frollo maniacally quoting the Bible and him and Quasimodo both falling from the balcony. Frollo falls to his death in the molten lead, while Quasimodo is saved by Phoebus on a lower floor. Afterward, Quasimodo comes to accept that Phoebus and Esmeralda are in love, and he gives them his blessing. The two encourage him to leave the cathedral into the outside world, where the citizens hail him as a hero and accept him into society. Voice cast *Tom Hulce as Quasimodo (a pig) *Demi Moore as Esmeralda (singing voice by Heidi Mollenhauer) (a cat) *Tim Curry as Judge Claude Frollo (a cocodrile) *Greg Ellis, Jess Harnell and Richard McGonagle as Tin, Pan and Alley, respectively (siamese cats) *Kevin Kline as Captain Phoebus (a dog) *Charles Kimbrough, Jason Alexander, and Mary Wickes as Victor, Hugo, and Laverne, respectively *David Ogden Stiers as the Archdeacon (a owl) *Paul Kandel as Clopin Trouillefou (a woodpecker) and the Narrator Production Development Writing Casting Animation Music Themes Release Marketing Home media Reception Box office Critical reception Audience response Accolades Trivia *This is one of the Disney animated films to have no humans (not counting the human puppeteer who narrates the beginning of the film).